The present invention relates to a method for use of a stationary compact video camera which is used for a visual telephone or the like.
Recently, the size of a video camera has been remarkably reduced and its cost has been remarkably lowered, in addition to the increase of functions and performance, and the video camera has been spreading and used in various fields as an image transmission and recording means.
Among various video cameras, a stationary compact type video camera has remarkably wide fields for use in the near future as a means for photographing a human image in a visual telephone, a means for information transmission for industry or traffic, or an observation and recording means of ecology of animals and plants.
An object of the stationary type video camera is, intrinsically, to take a photograph of a subject positioned at a specified distance. Accordingly, in many cases, an exclusive base for the video camera is provided, and the video camera is used under the condition that it is fixed to the base.
However, recently, even in the stationary type video camera, it has highly advanced functions in which photographing for a distant view and a close-range view, and further, even close-up photographing can be carried out, and the video camera can be widely used for general purposes in addition to the foregoing uses.
However, in the case where this type of video camera is used for close-up photographing, or out-door photographing, when it is fixed to the base, it is inconvenient because a photographing attitude can not be freely taken for this type of video camera as compared with a general purpose handy type video camera and its functions can not be fully used.
Inversely, in the handy type video camera, it is not its object that it is provided on a mount or a table, and accordingly, it is not suitable for the field of use of the present invention.
Further, in the video camera for general purpose use, only two types of control functions of automatic and manual controls are provided for various control functions such as an exposure level of an image pick-up element, focusing point control of a picture taking lens, an image magnification ratio of a picture taking lens, white balance, an AGC level or the like (hereinafter, called various control functions).
Automatic control has the limit to its own corresponding performance. Although manual control can conduct fine control, it is necessary to adjust its setting every time when a position of the video camera is changed.
The object of the present invention is to solve the foregoing problems and to provide a stationary type video camera which can be easily operated and used for general purpose photographing in the same manner as the handy type video camera, and can easily provide optimum settings for various control functions and which can be easily operated, for each camera position in the field of use as described above.